Lorraine Stanley – who plays Karen – said: "I thought my character would be feisty but just to come in and do it so soon I thought 'Karen's really causing trouble here'. It's more fun though to play a character like that. I prefer feisty.

"With this scene and storyline it's a big accusation Sharon is making, and Karen's not having anyone say anything bad about her son. She's protecting him.

"Hopefully the audience will see a lioness protecting her children and that she's a tough woman not to be messed with, but not in a malicious way. That's her protecting her kids."